Rubbing and polishing machine.



No. 685,328. Patented Oct. 29, I90l.

' H. P. GALE.

RUBBING AND POLISHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Jan. 19, 1901'.)

2 Sheets-Sh eqt I.

(No Model.)

, /NI/ENTOI? f/ W/ TNE SSE S A 7TOHN E I- TNE NORRIS PETERS 00., PHOTD-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, u. c.

- Patented Oct. 29, l90l. H. P. GALE. BUBBING AND POLISHING MACHINE.

(Application file d Jan. 19, 1901.)

2 Sheets-$heet 2.

(No Model.)

IN VE N TOR WITNESSES TNE mums PEYERS co.. PHOTO-HTML. wasmusrou. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY P. GALE, OF JAMESTOVVN, NEW YORK.

RUBBlNG AND POLIIIKSHVING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,328, dated October 29, 1901 Application filed January 19, 1901. Serial No. 43,889. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY P. GALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at J ames-' town, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented a new and usef ul Rubbing and Polishing-Machine, of which" the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rubbing and polishing machines in which the work is done by a polishing-belt and whereby it can be readily adapted to work on the plane or uneven surfaces of varnish, wood, stone, metal, or any material on which it is desired to use any of the various rubbing, abradin'g, or polishing materials; and the objects of my improvement are, first, to provide a head to press a running polishing-belt upon the surface to be polished; second, to so balance the head on the machine that its pressure can be instantly controlled by lever; third, to provide means whereby the head may be given a re ciprocating motion with either an adjustable stroke or a definite stroke, or the head may be applied to the belt at any desired point without reciprocation; fourth, to destroy the friction resulting from the pressure of the head upon the belt by the use of a lag-belt and rollers on the rubbing-head fifth, to provide balls and grooved ways for the carriage-- broken away to show spring connection to bed. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the upper part 'of the machine without the carriage and pol:

a simple spring-ratchet 20.

12 is the carriage for supporting the article to be polished, which has a strip 12 for the article polished to rest against. Carriage 12 has horizontal grooved Ways 13 13 on its under side, and a handle 14: across the front for the operator.

19 19 are upright screws mounted in the base of the frame and supporting horizontal grooved ways 15 15 on connecting-bar15,

which grooved ways form bearings or ways for balls 16 16, being placed underneath and parallel to ways 1313. I commonly use two of said balls on a side of about one and onefourth inches diameter.

17 17 are perpendicular pins in the ends of grooves 13 15, which straighten up balls 16 and keep them in bearing.

18 18 are perpendicular tongued ways on the inner sides of uprights 10, which fit into corresponding grooves on the sides of the horizontal carriage-bearings 13 and guide the carriage up and down when raised or lowered by upright screws 19 19 and sprocket-wheels 20 20, chain 21, gear 19, and Carriage 12 may thus be lowered to about where dotted line 22 is shown in Fig. 1 and is adjustable to any article, a table-top, like 23, or to articles of great size and weight, which weight can be rolled back and forth beneath the polishing= belt on the ball-bearings with perfect case.

Wheels 24 24 are mounted on opposite ends of the frame in suitable boxes and receive polishing-belt 25, which belt I usually make for rubbing and polishing purposes with a felt or soft rubbing-surface anda strong web to hold the felt or rubbing material, and for sanding purposes the belt is given an abrading-surface in any suitable manner which gives strength and durability.

26 26 are the power-pulleys.

I usually make myhead 27 with a relieving lag-belt 28, mounted on rollers 29 29. Lag belt 28 is usually made with metal cross-lags 28', riveted to a strong web.- Any form of relieving belt, however, which would give the pressure on belt would'serve my purpose. I like flat bed or bearing plate 30 to just fill the space between the rollers 29, and therefore have the adjusting slots and bolts 30, as shown. Bed 30 has the projections 31 at each corner, which form bearings for roll ers 29. Upright piece 32 is usuallyattaehed to bed by oscillating or torsional spring 33 to give bed 30 sufficient resilience or a yielding pressure in running over uneven surfaces that it may instantly adjust itself to elevations and depressions. Spring 33 should not be made too large in order that the bed may adjust itself more quickly to the work. Accordingly the draw of spring 33 on the head should always be below the center of weight. If the draw of the head were above said center of weight, the belt motion would affect the draw; but the draw being placed below overcomes the belt motion,and the lower down it is placed the more uniform is the contact between the article rubbed and the head. The upper end of piece 32 is attached to sliding block 34, which works on guide-bar 35 as it works back and forth, lag-belt 28 working in opening 32 in upright Guidebar 35 may be made straight or curved and work perfectly and is firmly secured to rod 36 at a distance therefrom to accommodate block 34. If guide-bar 35 is curved, bed 30 and rod 36 should be given the same curve. Rod 36 is attached to rod 38 by cross-pieces 37 37, and rod 38 works in bearings 39 39 on cross-bar 11. Bearing 39 extends up and is attached by the front end of rod 40 to piece 36, which is keyed upright on rod 36, so that when head 27 strikes an uneven surface it cannot wabble, but must play squarely up and down. Rod 40 extends to the rear and has balancing-weight 41 slidably mounted thereon and lever or handle 42 attached to the weight to operate the same. Thus when weight 41 is pulled forward the rack formed by rods 36 38 and cross-pieces 39 is forced down, pressing down head 27 onto belt 25, and when weight 41 is pushed back on rod 40 the pressure is instantly reversed and head 27 is raised from the belt 25. A lever and spring might serve my purpose as well as weight 41; but on account of the positive pressure and simplicity I use the weight.

To give the reciprocating motion to head 27,

. cord 43 is attached to block 34 at 43 and extended out each way to pulleys 44 44 on crossbar 11 and back to wheel 45. After passing around wheel 45 in opposite directions the ends of the cords are attached thereto, so that pulling on the cords alternately turns the wheel in opposite directions. \Vheel 45 is mounted on shaft 46, which is mounted in suitable boxes on frame 47 on cross-bar 10. Shaft 46 bears gear 48, which works segmentgear 49 on shaft 50. Segment-gear49 is connected with gear 52 by bar 53 and pin 54, adjustably mounted in slot 54', so that a long or short stroke can be given head 27. Gear 52 meshes in gear 55 on shaft 56, which shaft also bears pulley 57 at its rear end, and pulley 57 is connected with pulley 59 on the powershaft by belt 58. A small clutch 60, controlled by lever 61, is attached to pulley 57 (see Fig. 5) and throws pulley 57 in and out of gear as desired.

It will be seen that power applied to pulley 59 turns pulley 57 and gears 55 52, which according to the adjustment of pin 54 gives a long or short stroke to bar 53, and consequent long or short stroke to wheel 45 and head 27. The reciprocating mechanism can be instantly thrown in or out of gear by clutch 60 on wheel 57. \Vhen thrown out, head 27 can be turned to any part of the surface by handlever 62 on shaft 46, where there is special roughness, as a jump of the planer-knife on a board or a rust-spot or hammer-dent on a steel saw-blade, and the head can be held firmly on the spot until the roughness is overcome, after which the head may be given a reciprocating motion to even up the entire surface. Head 27 works reciprocatively from the center of the machine, and as the length of the stroke is under control round objects, like a table-top or of any pattern, may be rubbed with ease.

It will be seen that the speed of reciprocation for head 27 is controlled by the size of pulleys 56 and 58, and the speed of the polishing-belt 25 is controlled by the size of pulleys 24 and 26. Thus head 27 may be given a slow reciprocation, while belt 25 has high speed, or the reverse or any desired adjustment of these speeds may be arranged. \Vhen a slow reciprocation is given to head 27 and belt 25 has high speed, quantity is gained without vibration or jar to the machine, such as would necessarily come from high reciprocative speed.

63 is the water-pipe, which has valve 64 to regulate the flow, 65 is a pumice and water mixing box, and 66 is a funnel for dry pumice or polishing powder. funnel and water-pipe extend down into mixing-box 65, the water-pipe nozzles always extending below the pumice-nozzle. The pumice-nozzle is made with the right-sized aperture, so that the requisite amount of dry pumice will be sifted down by the vibration of the machine and deposited in a heap at the bottom of box 65. The steady flow of the Water on the heap of dry pumice runs off and out through opening 67 onto the outside of belt 25, carrying a uniform amount of pumice and saturating the belt. My belt is thus always damp in all its parts, and therefore will not heat from friction and strip varnish. My belt will not cut through the varnish at the edges of a table-top, since the belt relieves from the top at each edge, and as the reciprocating motion and pressure are the same on all parts of the surface to be polished it is not necessary to cross-rub the edges. This is a great advantage, since it usually takes more time to handle a piece in cross-rubbing than to rub the whole surface. 68 is an opening through which the mixing process of the pumice and water may be watched.

The nozzles of the IIS It will be noticed that if I leave off belt and give head 27 a rubbing or abrading surface I have a rubbing or sandpapering machine With reciprocating head which works from the center and can be given any desired length of stroke. It will not, however, do as rapid and even work as when my endless belt is added with balanced reciprocative headpressure.

I claim as new- 1. In a rubbing and polishing machine, a rubbing or abrading belt suitably mounted for running the same, a reciprocative head having means for pressing said belt to its WOI'k.

2. In a rubbing and polishing machine, a rubbing and polishing belt suitably mounted for running the same, a balanced head having means of reciprocation therefor and to press said belt to its work.

3. In a rubbing and sandpaper-ing machine, an abrading or polishing belt having suitablymounted pulleys for running the same, a

i head reciprocatively mounted within said belt to work from the center out each Way pressing said belt to its work.

4:. In a rubbing sandpapering and polishing machine, an abrading or polishing belt having suitable means for running the same, a balanced head having a guide-bar therefor.

5. Inarubbing and sandpapering machine, a rubbing or abrading belt having suitablymounted pulleys for running the same, a balanced head having a guide-bar therefor and means for giving a reciprocative motion thereto.

6. In a rubbing and polishing machine, a rubbing and polishing belt suitably mounted for running the same, a head having a lagbelt suitably mounted and a spring bearingplate for pressing said belt to its work.

7. In a rubbing and polishing machine, a rubbing and polishing belt suitably mounted for running the same, a reciprocative head having a lag-belt and rolls for said belt, a spring-bed to hold said rolls and press said lag-belt, a weight to raise and lower said head, as shown and described.

8. In a rubbing and polishing machine, a rubbing-head suitably mounted and having means for giving a reciprocative motion to the same, a weight slidably mounted to balance and press said head to its Work, as shown.

9. In a rubbing sandpapering and polishing machine,a rubbing-head suitably mounted and having means for giving a reciprocative motion to the same, a guide-bar for said head, a weight slidably mounted to balance and press said head to its work.

10. In a rubbing and polishing machine, a rubbing and polishing belt having suitablymounted wheels for running the same, a reciprocative rubbing-head having a guide-bar and rack to hold the same, a rod extended back from said rack having a balancingweight slidably mounted thereon and having a lever to operate said weight, as shown and for the purpose specified.

11. In a rubbing and polishing machine, a carriage for supporting the work having parallel grooved ways on its under side, parallel grooved tracks adj ustably mounted beneath said ways, balls in said ways and tracks to support and give a ball-bearing for said carriage.

12. In a rubbing and polishing machine, a carriage for supporting the work having parallel grooved ways on its under side, parallel grooved tracks mounted beneath said ways, balls in said tracks and Ways for the carriage to run on, upright screws to hold and adjust said carriage and perpendicular ways to guide the same, means for raising and lowering said carriage on said screws, as shown and described.

13. In a rubbing and polishing machine, a rubbing and polishing belt having suitable means for operating the same, a reciprocative head to press said belt to its work, a carriage for supporting the work having ball-bearings to move transversely beneath said belt, substantially as shown.

14. In a rubbing and polishing machine, a rubbing and polishing belt suitably mounted for running the same, a reciprocative head to press said belt to its work, a ball-bearing carriage adjustable perpendicularly and movable transversely beneath said belt, substantially as shown.

15. In a rubbing and polishing machine, a rubbing and polishing belt suitably mounted, a reciprocative rubbing-head to press said belt to its work, a ball-bearing carriage movable transversely beneath said belt, upright screws having sprocket-wheels, chain, gear and ratchet to adjust said carriage, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY P. GALE.

Witnesses:

N. E. THOMAS, A. H. PRICE. 

